The Warriors exceeded Cooper’s goal, securing the No. 1 seed in its conference, winning its first-ever playoff game and earning a spot in the conference final. Cooper said this year’s preseason was …
The Utah Warriors punched their ticket to Major League Rugby’s conference finals after beating the Seattle Seawolves 23-21 at home last Saturday in a nail biter of a match.
With his team now on the precipice of winning its first-ever Major League Rugby title, head coach Greg Cooper spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming conference final.
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Cooper had said that before the season started, he set a goal for the team to finish in the top two of its conference, so it could host a home playoff match.
That might have been seen as wishful thinking after the Warriors finished 5-11 last season, but it’s part of Cooper’s mentality to never give up.
“I don’t know how many games I’ve been involved with (in) my 20 plus years as a professional coach, but I’ve never jumped on a plane, I’ve never jumped on a bus, I’ve never gone to a game thinking I can’t win, that my team can’t win,” Cooper said.
The Utah Warriors 2025 season
The Warriors exceeded Cooper’s goal, securing the No. 1 seed in its conference, winning its first-ever playoff game and earning a spot in the conference final.
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Cooper said this year’s preseason was “probably the hardest first week I’ve ever experienced” in his two decades of coaching in New Zealand, Japan, France and now the U.S.
“We went hard from the start. You know, a little bit of a situation where we could have broken players early, but we didn’t. So, we pushed them to the limits, physically, mentally,” he said.
While there were some electrifying wins for the Warriors this season, some of the most impactful moments for the team came from its losses, according to Cooper.
“When we drop the game, we actually got learnings out of it. We got stronger through those learnings. Sometimes the thinkers are actually one of the best things you could possibly have because sometimes when you’re going along and winning, you tend to not look at things you might be doing wrong,” he said.
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Cooper considers the loss to New England one of those impactful losses, as well as a turning point for the team to learn how to recover after a momentum loss.
Utah Warriors’ Cole Semu walks to another area of the field as he and with his teammates participate in practice in Herriman on Friday, April 25, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Utah Warriors who have stood out in 2025
The Deseret News asked Cooper which players showed improvement and which stepped up as leaders this season. Cooper was quick to single out rookie Cole Semu from BYU, whom the Warriors drafted No. 28 overall last summer in the college draft.
Cooper thought this would be a learning season for Semu and didn’t expect him to play much, but the rookie has played in 10 games for the Warriors.
“He was put under the pump. He played some difficult games against some quality opposition. So, I have to single Cole out for a guy that came from (the) draft. He’s a local boy — BYU — and a remarkable story to see someone with so little experience stand up the way he did,” Cooper said.
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The head coach also praised lock forward Gavin Thornbury, who joined the team in the offseason after spending the majority of his career with Ireland’s Connacht Rugby, for his leadership.
“In terms of standing up as a leader, Gavin Thornbury has been phenomenal. He’s had his share of injuries, but when he hasn’t been on the field, he’s led by example, off the field as well,” he said.
The Warriors host the Houston Sabercats at home in Zions Bank Stadium in the conference final on Saturday at 7 p.m. MDT.
A win would punch a ticket to Rhode Island for the championship and put the Warriors at the doorstep of making team history.
Source: Utah News